Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park

Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park
Glenwood Springs, CO
LAMPS USED:
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LED Lighting Goes Underground
and Pays for Itself
• PAR38, BR40, BR30 & A19 V1 & V2
Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park is nestled in the heart of
the Rocky Mountains in historic Glenwood Springs, Colorado.
Visitors to the park take a 10-minute gondola ride from the
floor of the Roaring Fork Valley to the top of Iron Mountain.
Hosting thousands of visitors per year, the unique location
was named one of the Top 10 Places to Go Underground
by USA Today.
CREDITS:
Project: Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park
The Fairy Caves
Client: Steve Beckley, Owner
Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park
The Fairy Caves, located within the Glenwood Caverns, were
originally opened to the public in 1895, and then later closed
at the beginning of World War I. Since their re-opening in
1999, owner Steve Beckley has employed rigorous, scientific
preservation methods to protect the living and historic sections
of the caves including the implementation of LED lighting
technology from Lighting Science®.
©2013 Lighting Science Group Corporation. All rights reserved.
1227 South Patrick Drive, Satellite Beach, FL 32937 www.lsgc.com
LSG_271_Glenwood Caverns Case Study
Challenge
Sustaining the cavern’s natural environment is
the greatest challenge to operating the public
caves. The caves can “dry out” when lit with
incandescent lighting, which gives off more heat
than light. A continuous water flow is needed to
create the natural rock formations and maintain
the 54 unique species residing in the caverns.
“It was a losing battle trying to keep the species
alive,” said Steve Beckley, owner of Glenwood
Caverns. “When I learned about LED lighting from
Lighting Science at a recent scientific convention,
I purchased a few and tested them out. It was
immediately clear that LEDs bulbs were the right
solution to maintain the environmental balance
within the caves. I decided to switch all the lamps
site-wide.”
Less heat was not the only benefit afforded
with the LED lighting. Less maintenance is also
an economic benefit for Glenwood Caverns.
It is difficult to reach the mounted lighting and
maintenance often interfered with the rock features
while trying to change lamps. LED lighting lasts
years longer than incandescent and reduces the
need to service them.
Solution
Replacing the existing incandescent lighting with LED lamps from
Lighting Science has again established the natural moisture within the
caves, and many species are now thriving. Temperatures within the
cave are kept at 52˚F year-round making the LED lighting the optimal
choice due to its ability to handle extreme temperatures without
sensitivity to those temperatures.
“It was also important that the color temperature match the
warm glow associated with the caves. Lighting Science was
the only company to offer LED lighting with an accurate
2700K color temperature. The lighting helps sustain the
environment, gives off the best ambient lighting, and will
allow for the caverns to save energy,” said Beckley.
To make the switch to LED lighting even more attractive, the Clean
Energy Economy for the Region (CLEER) organization – a nonprofit
group that provides energy-oriented services – reimbursed Glenwood
Caverns a third of the amount of the total cost for the lighting
replacements. Beckley expects to save roughly $12,000 annually
due to the energy savings and the maintenance efficiencies. In
the process, he’ll achieve impressive economic results with a total
payback in less than one year.
Proof that the upgrades are successful is reflected in increased park
attendance—visitation to Glenwood Caverns has increased from
30,000 in 1999 to 165,000 in 2012. With expansion of the caves
underway, Beckley can illuminate new caverns with LED lamps at a
greatly reduced risk to the cave’s ecology.
“The steps that Glenwood Caverns is taking by installing LED
lighting will set the new standard for all other uniquely controlled
environments to match,” said Keith Scott, Chief Commercial Officer
at Lighting Science. “The benefits to both the caves preservation and
energy savings are what make our lighting the best solution in these
specialized cases.”
©2012 Lighting Science Group Corporation. All rights reserved.
1227 South Patrick Drive, Satellite Beach, FL 32937 www.lsgc.com
LSG_271_Glenwood Caverns Case Study